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Gerry St. Germain's story begins in "Petit Canada" on the shores of the Assiniboine, growing up with his two younger sisters, his mother and his father--a shy Metis trapper and construction worker who sometimes struggled to put food on the table. St. Germain was initially troubled in school, scrapping with classmates and often skipping out to shoot pool, but an aunt and uncle with some extra cash paid his tuition to Catholic school, where a nun recognized his aptitude for math and encouraged him to pursue his dreams. He would go on to become an air force pilot, undercover policeman and West Coast chicken farmer. Business gave way to politics, and in 1988 he became one of a tiny number of Aboriginal Canadians named to a federal cabinet. That milestone was just one of many for a man who played a critical role in Canada's Conservative movement for a generation.

From the Brian Mulroney era to the roller-coaster leadership of Kim Campbell, then to the collapse of the Progressive Conservative party in 1993 and the subsequent rebuilding of the movement under Stephen Harper, St. Germain remained a trusted confidant of prime ministers and a crucial and often daring behind-the-scenes broker in bringing warring factions together. But he is most proud of his efforts during his later years in the Senate, when he was a quiet hero to Canada's Aboriginal community. He spearheaded major Senate reports on key issues like land claims and on-reserve education during the Harper era, when there were few friendly faces for First Nations leaders on Parliament Hill. That role reflected St. Germain's profound determination to help people who are still dealing today the brutal legacy of residential schools and the paternalistic Indian Act. Memories of his humble beginnings, and the shame he once felt over his Metis heritage, bubbled to the surface in his final address to Canada's Parliament in 2012, when he said in a voice quaking with emotion: "I am a Metis."

This book paints a vivid picture of the original peoples of North America before the arrival of Europeans. The novel follows the story of Mahingan and his family as they live the traditional Algonquin way of life in what is now Ontario in the early 14th century. Along the way we learn about the search for moose and the dramatic rare woodland buffalo hunt, conflicts with other Native nations, and the dangers of wolves and wolverines. We also witness the violent game of lacrosse, the terror of a forest fire, and the rituals that allow Algonquin boys to be declared full-grown men.

But warfare is also part of their lives, and signs point to a defining conflict between Mahingan's nation, its allies the Omàmiwinini (Algonquin), Ouendat (Huron), and the Nippissing against the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois). The battle's aftermath may open the door to future journeys by Mahingan and his followers.

Educator InformationRecommended Ages: 12-15.

Series InformationThis novel is part of the Algonquin Quest Series, a series of young adult novels from Algonquin author Rick Revelle.

When eight-year-old Irene is removed from her First Nations family to live in a residential school she is confused, frightened, and terribly homesick. She tries to remember who she is and where she came from, despite the efforts of the nuns who are in charge at the school and who tell her that she is not to use her own name but instead use the number they have assigned to her. When she goes home for summer holidays, Irene's parents decide never to send her and her brothers away again. But where will they hide? And what will happen when her parents disobey the law? Based on the life of co-author Jenny Kay Dupuis’ grandmother, I Am Not a Number is a hugely necessary book that brings a terrible part of Canada’s history to light in a way that children can learn from and relate to.

Reviews"Residential and boarding school stories are hard to read, but they're vitally important... books like I Am Not a Number should be taught in schools in Canada, and the U.S., too."— Debbie Reese, American Indians in Children's Literature

"It’s important to teach children about true Canadian history, but it’s not easy to talk about it in a way that children will understand. I Am Not a Number is perfect to get the conversation about residential schools started with your children. It opens the door for them to ask questions about the subject and the story is relatable in a way they can follow."— Residential School Magazine

"[A] powerful teaching tool that brings a terrible part of Canada’s history to light in a way that children can learn from and relate to. It is written in simple language and told in a way that will stimulate conversations about residential schools and the traumatic effects they have had on generations of First Nation families and communities. ... beautifully illustrated by Gillian Newland. She captures the somber mood of the school, the anguish of the children, the severity of the nuns and the desperation of the family. Students can easily empathize with Irene and her brothers as well as their parents as they try to imagine how they would feel or act in a similar situation." — Alberta Native News, December 2016

"Endless cross-curricular connections can be made using this story. But the most powerful aspect of this book is that it will open a dialogue, one that Justice Murray Sinclair spoke of as head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a dialogue that needs to take place for reconciliation to happen." — ETFO Voice

David Bouchard dives into his own life and identity in this beautifully illustrated book. Personal totems are often described as animal spirit guardians. Totems are passed down through family lines. The beautiful prose describes an amazing personal journey of discovery, finally, inviting the reader to do the same.

An Elder once asked me if my spirit animal guardian was Bear. I must have looked somewhat confused because she went on to explain that Bear was the wise Elder, the teacher. She told me that Bear understood as well as any what to take from our mother Earth and how important it was to always put back that which we took. “You’ve been a teacher many years? Are you guided by Bear?” she asked. “YES!” I answered confidently. “Yes. In fact, my guardian is the Grizzly Bear” I smiled.

Dear reader, you must understand that I have always been fascinated by the powerful giant, Bear. “If you want to be certain of this,” she said softly, “all you have to do is close your eyes before travelling to your dreamtime – close your eyes and picture your guardian. Thank it. Ask it for guidance. Try to see it. It will be there for you. It does not hide. It is proud to be part of who you are.”

That night, I couldn’t wait to get to bed. I was very anxious to see my totem. I knew to be Bear. I closed my eyes and the first and only thing I saw was a big, goofy looking Raven staring straight at me. He looked ragged; one of his neck feathers was sticking off to the side. I spoke to him, respectfully. “Hello Raven. It is good to see you here in my dreamtime. However, I’d be grateful if you would just step over to the side – either side – just step aside please because Bear is trying to come into my vision and – just step aside a little – please.

I fell asleep. The next day, I shared my story with the knowing Elder who didn’t hesitate to tell me that she wasn’t surprised to hear my story. She knew that I had succeeded in school in spite of the fact that I was a weak reader. She knew that I had done things in my life that could have been seen as being too much for me. She knew my wife and that I had to be very cunning indeed to have talked such a beautiful woman into marrying me. The lesson I learned from that Elder that day came to me through the last words she spoke to me. “David, surely you know that you are not Bear. You are Raven.”

Reviews"I Am Raven represents another chapter in the Canadian children’s literature depiction of the First Nation experience in Canada. What’s more, however, is that the text is so well written and the illustrations so well crafted that I Am Raven is not presented in any sort of an exclusionary manner. Rather, the notion of totems and “animal spirit guardians” is presented as an idea for everyone, regardless of their cultural identity. The author, David Bouchard, is Métis, and the illustrator, Andy Everson, has K'omoks and Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations ancestry. The author and illustrator’s evident pride in their ancestry contributes to a powerful, engaging, fascinating and, simply, lovely book for readers young and old." - Gregory Bryan, CM Magazine

Joseph A. Dandurand is a member of Kwantlen First Nation located on the Fraser River about twenty minutes east of Vancouver. He resides there with his three children Danessa, Marlysse, and Jace.

Joseph is the Heritage/Lands Officer for his people and has been performing his duties for 20 years now. He has been tasked with protecting his people’s heritage from the many destructive elements of development in the Kwantlen territory.

Joseph loves to fish. He loves to write plays. He loves to write books of poetry. He also loves to watch his daughter Danessa play soccer and hockey.

Joseph is in love with and follows his rich culture. It is his and his family’s medicine and it carries them thru the winters and into the spring time when the fish start to come back into the river.

From sharing a stage with Johnny Cash and hosting his own national TV series to helping launch Winnipeg's original rock 'n roll scene, musician Ray St. Germain has enjoyed a career busy enough to keep several people on the go. His reflections are by turns rollicking and touching, with smiles to ease hard-won wisdom.

A frank and funny portrait of the transformative friendship between a Native American boy and an Air Force kid.

Lewis "Shoe" Blake is used to the joys and difficulties of life on the Tuscarora Indian reservation in 1975: the joking, the Fireball games, the snow blowing through his roof. What he's not used to is white people being nice to him - people like George Haddonfield, whose family recently moved to town with the Air Force.

As the boys connect through their mutual passion for music, especially the Beatles, Lewis has to lie more and more to hide the reality of his family's poverty from George. He also has to deal with the vicious Evan Reininger, who makes Lewis the special target of his wrath. But when everyone else is on Evan's side, how can he be defeated? And if George finds out the truth about Lewis's home - will he still be his friend?

Reviews"Lewis' desire to move between cultures, and his difficulty doing so, will resonate with readers of many backgrounds . . . a worthy exploration of identity and friendship between middle school boys who live in different worlds." -Kirkus

IKWE is a new colouring book by Anishinaabe artist Jackie Traverse. Featuring brand new works, the stunning images in IKWE celebrate the spiritual and ceremonial aspects of women and their important role as water protectors.

“I had the privilege of going to Standing Rock twice. The strength and power that came from the women there inspired this book. To be a woman is to be a life giver and water protector. Even if you never have children, you have that sense, and the duty to honour and protect the water is within you,” writes Traverse.

Reviews“The importance of celebrating Indigenous women and girls’ space and place within our collective journey toward healing, empowerment and reconciliation cannot be overstated. When we, as Indigenous women and girls, see ourselves reflected in positive and powerful ways, it renders emotional and spiritual transformative change in our lives. Jackie’s art, her book and her life fundamentally contribute to the positive imagery of Indigenous women and offers a sacred way to understand one another moving toward reconciliation in Canada.”— Nahanni Fontaine, NDP MLA for St. Johns, Legislative Assembly of Manitoba

“Jackie’s work is that medicine that connects us all to a time when the earth and her women were equally respected as sacred —life givers, leaders, teachers and healers. Her genius is to help make us remember.”— Leslie Spillett, Ka Ni Kanichihk, Winnipeg

“I first received Jackie’s colouring book as a gift. I was immediately struck by the feminine strength, beauty and resiliency in her drawings. The teachings she shares in the back of the colouring book add so much spiritual depth to her already powerful work! Hiy hiy mistahi Jackie for sharing your gifts of art and words, along with your cultural teachings with your drawings.— Lynette La Fontaine, Aboriginal nurse educator with Chee Mamuk, BC CDC

Through interviews with elders from three regions of Nunavut, Ilagiinniq: Interviews on Inuit Family Values provides a wealth of information on traditional family values. Covering relationships between siblings, elders and grandchildren, uncles and aunts, husbands and wives, and in-laws, this book is an indispensable resource of information on how Inuit families traditionally lived, and how traditional ways can be implemented in the modern world.

"The time for our own stories has arrived, our own written words, our own voices. It is through our stories that we discover our roots. They feed us. They make us strong." -Terri Mack (owner, Strong Nations Bookstore & Press)

The best of Vancouver Island young writers grades 8-12, In Our Own Teen Voice 3 features fiction and poetry written by teens about issues that matter to them.

"A celebration of youth literacy." -BC BookLook

"In Our Own Voice is a gift for Vancouver Island teen writers. There is nothing like having your passion recognized and celebrated at a young age." -Morgan Cross, first place winner 2015 and 2016 editions of In Our Own Voice

In Our Own Teen Voice is an annual writing contest and book anthology that began in 2015 for Vancouver Island teens, grades 8-12. In partnership with publisher Rebel Mountain Press and Vancouver Island Regional Library, and as a Partner in Learning with Vancouver Island University, In Our Own Teen Voice gives a voice to the amazing talent of the Island’s young writers about issues that matter to them.

With themes this year ranging from self-identity, family, friends and relationships, belonging, sports, gaming, stress, depression, disability, loss, to growing-up, sexual orientation, love, war, passion, courage, and hope, In Our Own Teen Voice is written by teens, for teens, and can be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

This year’s 160-page anthology features 51 stories and poems written by 42 teen authors on Vancouver Island, from Campbell River, Courtenay-Comox, to Qualicum, Parksville, Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Cowichan, and Port Hardy. The book also highlights 38 pages of artwork (includes six in colour) created by five local artists (and stock images).

This year also features the 2018 Islands Short Fiction Contest first-place winner of the youth category: “Survive” (p. 137) by Ivy-Lynne Walling.

Twelve-year-old Molly was riding her new bicycle on a deserted road when a man in a truck pulled up next to her, saying he was lost. He asked if she could get in and help him back to the highway, and said he could bring her back to her bike after. Molly declined, out of interest for her own safety. The next things Molly remembers are dirt, branches, trees, pain, and darkness.

Molly is now a spirit.

Mustering up some courage, she pieces together her short life for herself and her family while she reassembles her bicycle—the same one that was found thrown into the trees on the side of the road. Juxtaposed with flashes of news, sounds, and videos, Molly’s chilling tale becomes more and more vivid, challenging humanity not to forget her presence and importance.

Reviews“Tara Beagan's In Spirit distills the tragic disappearance of hundreds of native women along BC's Highway of Tears into a powerful theatrical experience.” —Jon Kaplan, NOW Magazine

“In Spirit is a very touching piece, not only for the content, but also because of how we were transported into this little girl’s world… It is a refreshing change to see a play tackle a societal defect without hate and guilt. Through love and empathy, it reminds us of the missing women and the horrors that are still taking place in our county.” —Emma Letki, Mooney on Theatre

Educator InformationThis play is listed in the 2018-2019 Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools list as a resource for Grades 11-12 for these subjects: Acting, Drama, English Language Arts.

In her first idiom-shattering book of poetry, Wanda John-Kehewin combines Aboriginal oral tradition with dramatic narrative to address the effects of colonization, alcohol addiction, familial abandonment, religious authority, sexual abuse, and the pain of mourning. She admonishes humanity for its lack of conscience in poems that journey from turmoil of the Gaza Strip to rapidly dissolving ice floes.